Fate Reforged Traditional Art Report

Here at OMA, we promote the entire spectrum of art from Magic the Gathering but give special attention to the traditionally created pieces.

While digital illustration can also create astonishing art, being able to hang a unique piece of Magic’s history on the wall is an irreplaceable feeling for many players and collectors alike.

With the release of each set, more opportunities are provided for Magic art aficionados to expand their collections and for newcomers to the hobby to begin their adventure by capturing these scenes from a brand new world.

Traditional Art Gallery

While the amount of traditional art has certainly declined over time, there are still a good number being produced with each new set.

Fate Reforged is no different with over 30 paintings uncovered so far, including the amazing Ugin, the Spirit Dragon promo art that, at the time of this writing, is currently sitting at over $10,000 on Ebay.

After a bit of investigation, and with the help of some extremely cooperative artists, I was able to track down most of those traditional works and have shared large scale images and details below.

After following the original art market for the last few years, it’s amazing to see how fast some of this artwork is being snatched up during spoiler season. Just two years ago, you could wait for more than a month to pick up originals from a new set, but that has all changed.

Below are the paintings from Fate Reforged that have already found new homes, most purchased just minutes after being spoiled by Wizards.

Tasigur, the Golden Fang – Chris Rahn – Oil on Hardboard

Yasova Ironclaw – Winona Nelson – Acrylic on Masonite

Dragonscale General – Volkan Baga – 13″ x 17″ – Oil on Board

Archfiend of Depravity – Volkan Baga – 16.5″ x 22″ – Oil on Board

Ambush Krotiq – Filip Burburan – 10″ x 14″ – Watercolor on Paper

To see so many pieces get snapped up so quickly, it is no surprise that more and more artists are revisiting traditional media and the additional paycheck it can provide. While not every piece is selling immediately, the momentum has grown and many artists have taken notice.

I fully expect to see even more traditional work in the future sets as the value proposition has reached a point where the increased prices being paid for originals will justify the additional time requirements involved in their creation.

Another trend that shines clearly from the above images is the increase in size of Magic originals. Initially created at a 5″ x 7″ maximum due to scanner size constraints, we are seeing more and more large scale images from the artists. The Ugin art at 18″ x 24″ is quite the substantial piece and, if Noah Bradley is to be believed, that may be stamp sized in comparison to some of the work we may see released in the future.

Overall, I think this is a great thing as the larger size will make for a more impressive painting and more easily justify the increased prices we are seeing on the market. As a prominent proponent of the collecting Magic art, I am glad to see both the increased interest in originals by collectors and artists alike as it does nothing but good for the hobby.

Not Done Yet

In the process of gathering all of the details for this article, I was able to get some great stories about the creative process behind some of these images. While these are still in various stages of editing, they present a brand new source of perspective and information that I can’t wait to share with you.

I hope you enjoyed this first iteration of a Traditional Art Report and look forward to doing something similar for each future release. If you enjoyed this article, and especially if you didn’t, please leave me some feedback in the comments.